-O-

Picturebook Romance

A Trolls fanfic

By Dreamsinger

Chapter Sixty

Becoming Visible

It's just as I feared. Some of the trolls don't like me. Worse, they don't trust me. Despite all I've done to try and be a part of this village for the last six months, they still see the crazy hermit who locked himself in a bunker for ten years. The temperamental trolling no one ever wanted on their team. The sour-tempered, unfun, work-obsessed grump.

Sadness washed over me and I closed my eyes, my head hanging low. The worst part is, I can't blame them. If I were them, I wouldn't trust me either. I sighed mournfully. I sure wouldn't want me as king…

Suddenly all I wanted was to escape. To disappear. To run away to my bunker and dive in, berating myself for ever going out. Or at least, to stay hidden in this bush.

But before I could fall too deeply into negative self-talk, I heard the sound I was always listening for. The sweetest, kindest, most wonderful sound in the world: Poppy's voice.

"Yoo-hoo, Bra-anch," my girlfriend called in a singsong tone. "Where aaare you?"

Instantly my somber mood brightened. Having someone cuddle you and play with your hair and tell you they loved you will do that. I felt the dark tunnel surrounding me open out, freeing me. And I remembered that the world was a bright, beautiful place, full of singing and dancing and Poppy.

Feeling so much better made me realize what I'd been doing just now. Over the years I'd spent countless hours going down that same bleak path, judging myself harshly at the first hint of criticism from the other trolls. Seeing rejection that might not really be there. The only thing the trolls I'd overheard had actually said was that they were surprised that I was such good friends with Poppy, and that they didn't really know me very well. And yes, that bothered them, but they were also curious about me. That was a good thing. It meant I still had a chance of getting them to accept me.

"Branch? Are you still here?" Poppy walked up to stand with her back to my bush, setting her hands on those temptingly curvy hips I liked so much. "Now where did he run off to?"

I couldn't resist. With a broad smile on my face, I slid my hands through the leaves and cupped her hips. "Hey, Poppy."

For once, I had the fun of making her yelp and leap into the air, her arms and legs flailing. "Branch! You startled me!"

I leaned further out of the bush and grinned widely at her. "Now you know what it feels like." I made a pseudo-thoughtful face. "Although I've gotta say, I finally see the appeal."

She huffed. "What are you doing in there?"

My smile faded. "Oh, j-just…chilling."

Poppy wasn't fooled. "Branch."

"I, uh…" I hesitated, then looked away. If I told Poppy what I'd overheard, she'd worry. Or worse, decide that I needed to make friends with every single troll in the village - today. We didn't have time for that. I knew Poppy was looking forward to springing her big surprise on me, and I didn't want to disappoint her. She didn't deserve to have her fun spoiled.

I'll tell her later, I decided. In the meantime, I had the perfect distraction. I let my face relax into the type of cute, flirty grin I knew Poppy found hard to resist. "Oh, I was just thinking," I said playfully, "about a certain game. You know the one I'm talking about?"

Her face lit up. "Oh, I think I do," she said lightly as she moved toward me, her thick eyelashes lowered amorously.

"Well, I think I found something for the game here in this bush, but…I could use a little help." I raised my eyebrows suggestively.

She immediately accepted my invitation. "You got it, Branch!"

Eagerly she leaped into the bush with me. At the first touch of her lips on mine, for one of the few times in my life I decided to forget about worrying and just enjoy myself in the moment. I'd figure out what to do about the other trolls later. Maybe Poppy would have some ideas.

-O-

Kissing my girlfriend was a dream come true, as always, but eventually the silent call of duty grew almost to a shout in my mind. "Poppy," I said between kisses. "I hate to say this…but…didn't you say we were…doing some kind of…mmm…surprise activity this afternoon?"

"Ooo, you're right, I know. It's just…" She pressed her lips to mine and left them there, her mind somewhere else. I could feel her thoughts percolating before she finally said, "You know what it's like when you have to choose between two pleasurable experiences?"

"No," I said flatly. She gave me a look of surprise, and I laughed and winked at her. "Just kidding."

-O-

Poppy and I held hands as we made our way around the village. I needed the moral support, because no matter how much I tried not to, I kept getting distracted by the unsettling conversation I'd overheard. It's funny; I'm used to thinking of the other trolls as pretty easygoing. I wouldn't have thought most of them would care about me one way or the other. During my bunker years, most trolls seemed content to leave me alone, just like I wanted. Not many tried to reach out to me. Then again, why would they? It's not like I made it easy for them.

I sighed. It's just like Poppy's been saying all along. I need to do more to get to know everyone, especially if I really do end up as king someday. I need to figure out a way to show everyone that there's more to Branch than just his bunker. That I have other interests besides keeping everyone safe, or being obsessed with bergens- Wait. I'm not obsessed. I don't even have that graffiti anymore. I scowled indignantly. They're basing their opinion of me on outdated information! I've changed. I'm not the same troll anymore. Can't they see that?

Just then a group of laughing trollings ran past. I saw an orange hand wave at us, and recognized Conifer. Poppy and I waved back as the trollings kept going; off to have fun somewhere, no doubt. I found myself smiling nostalgically after them. I remember when Acorn was that little. It's good to see that Conifer has so many friends, unlike his big brother. Not that that was his fault. It was mine; I should have-

I caught the direction my thoughts were heading and shook my head before I could get caught up in ruminating about the past yet again. Poppy caught my abrupt movement. "What is it, Branch?"

"Nothing," I said evasively.

"Branch."

To distract her, I started to babble. "I can't believe I didn't know Conifer was Acorn's little brother. How did I miss that? I knew he had a little sister, Kiki. Actually, she wouldn't be so little now, would she? Let's see, she was four when her accident happened, so that makes her twelve now. And Conifer is the son of their mother and Leafe's brother, Hearty. What was her name again? Lily?"

"Tulip."

"Right, right. And Conifer is how old?"

"He's eight and a quarter."

My steps slowed. "Eight years… Man, I really need to update my census."

My last full village-wide census had been back when I'd come up with the idea for Cleanup Day. I was living in my bunker by then, but thanks to all the time I'd spent living with so many foster families, I'd still known every troll in the village at that point. By sight and name, at least. Obviously, that's no longer the case, I thought ruefully. Looks like I'm working with outdated information, too. I don't know half the trolls in this village.

I'd spent the last decade of my life mostly concerning myself with the security of the village and my bunker. What had I missed, socially? Other than weddings and funerals, of course. I'd felt duty-bound to attend those, even though they often resulted in humiliating panic attacks that certainly couldn't have helped my reputation any.

Honestly, I didn't know any more about the trolls of this village than they did about me. What other information had I let slide? For example, were Maple and Moonglow a couple, as Poppy and I suspected? And what about Acorn? I'd just learned that he had a crush of his own on Celesta Starchime, a girl I barely knew.

Man, I'm really out of the loop. I needed to ask Cherry Blossom and Leafe more about the younger generation. Who was dating whom? Who had a crush on whom? Who wanted to be what when they grew up, and what would they need to succeed? Knowledge, tools, experiences?

With questions like these on my mind, as we continued on our stroll around the village I found myself taking more interest in the trolls we met as individuals. Back when we'd escaped, there hadn't been that many trolls to keep track of; a hundred and twelve trolls in all. Now there were two hundred and sixty, not counting me or Poppy; nearly a hundred of whom had been hatched after my retreat into my bunker.

It was daunting to realize that there were that many trolls I didn't know after my long time away. Virtual strangers. Even many of the trolls I'd once known fairly well as trollings had changed so much; like Acorn, and Maple.

And how about people like my former mentors, Finetune and Savvy? What was different in their lives? Their daughter Laurel and I had been good friends when we were trollings. We'd grown up together, learning engineering side-by-side under her parents' tutelage. We'd been close, but according to Savvy, Laurel had a family now - a family I knew nothing about. So Finetune and Savvy are grandparents. I'll bet they're loving that. Imagining the joy on their faces as they met their new grandson or granddaughter for the first time made me smile. Laurel must have been so proud. I wish I'd been there to see it.

My smile faded. How had I let everyone drift so far away from me? Shame made me stare at the grass passing under my feet. Suppose some troll came to me with a problem? As a leader, it would be my responsibility to help them with it, but how can I? I don't know these people; not anymore. How will I ever develop relationships with everyone? Poppy's had years to get to know them all. I'll never catch up.

I felt my shoulders slump. Never.

-O-

Never say never, Branch. I could hear little Poppy's voice in my head, saying the same words over and over. Come on, think positive. Don't talk yourself out of something before you even try. It's far from hopeless, after all…

Hopeless…

-O-

"It's hopeless. I'll never make friends. I'll never be like the other trolls," my ten-year-old self complained gloomily. "I should just give up right now. Maybe we all should. The bergens are gonna find us one day anyway."

"Now, now, what was the point of escaping from the bergens if we live as if we're still under their claws?" Jaunty asked me.

"What? I don't understand. You guys make stuff that should be simple so complicated!"

"Life is complicated, lad," Courtley said kindly. "But you can choose how you face things, you know. There's always going to be different ways to look at the same situation."

Jaunty agreed, "Yeah, kiddo. Having such a rigid way of looking at the world, especially so young, limits you in so many ways. You see, part of optimistic thinking is finding the positive ways to see any given situation."

"Finding the silver lining?" I asked, repeating what had been sung at me countless times over the years.

"Exactly. So my advice when you're in a tough situation is to take a step back and approach the problem from another angle. You often see possibilities you hadn't realized were there."

"But how do I do that?" I asked wistfully. "It's not like I haven't tried."

He and Courtley looked at one another, and the light-purple troll suggested, "How about this: imagine yourself as someone else, like your friend Poppy. How would she see this situation?"

"Yeah… Yeah, you're right! That's a good idea. Thanks, you guys!" As was happening to me more and more often I felt the sudden urge to hug my foster dads when it wasn't even Hug Time, and tell them I loved them. And someday, I would.

-O-

I'd left my foster dads before I ever had the chance, but one of the values that had stuck with me was their steady, gentle persistence. Silver linings were part of optimism, but so was never giving up. Trying again, failure after failure; a lesson that had served me well while constructing my bunker. Whenever I ran into a problem and was tempted to give up, I used to imagine them standing just behind me, encouraging me.

I regretted that things had turned out as they had between me and my dads. I missed them. I was glad they'd found happiness with a trolling of their own. It alleviated some of the guilt I still felt for the pain I'd caused them for leaving, for rejecting their love.

What would they say about the problem I was facing now?

They'd tell me not to give up before I even started. So would Poppy. And they'd be right. I sighed, missing them more than ever, then squared my shoulders and held my head a little higher.

All right, then. If I ever hope to get the chance to be king someday, I'll need to prepare for it. I need to get organized, do some research. I can make a new census, for starters. Poppy will help me. She's built a working knowledge of each troll's base personality, life situation, habits, and needs, and she keeps in constant contact with everyone to monitor changes in their status quo. A light dawned, and I grinned. Maybe I ought to apologize for teasing Poppy so much. Her nosiness actually does serve a purpose.

…Actually, knowing her, she'll probably insist that I talk to every troll in the village myself. I can hear her now: "What better way to get to know everyone?" I looked away so Poppy wouldn't see me grimace uncomfortably. It's not that I mind, exactly… It's just… It's not as easy as she thinks. From what I overheard, there are still some trolls out there who… Well, let's just say they're not crazy about me. And there are others I've been avoiding for so long, like my foster dads. I… I honestly don't know what I would even say to them.

Still, making a census is a good pretext to talk to everyone in the village. I can even tailor my questions to get a handle on people's opinions of, say, trolls who live in bunkers. Nah, too obvious. Well, I'll work on it.

Now that I had a plan of action, I felt better. I paid close attention to the trolls we met, studying them and how they interacted with us. How they approached Poppy, and how they spoke to her; compared to how they behaved toward me.

The difference was pretty stark. With their rosy queen, her people were confident and happy, always glad to see her. She asked about their lives and families, and many of them asked her questions about her own life and interests in return. A few trolls did the same with me, but for the most part I received friendly but generic greetings, when they spoke to me at all. Many trolls barely seemed to know I was there. It was embarrassing.

Up to now I hadn't cared that much, or at least, I'd pretended I didn't. I'd spent ten years doing my best to ignore Troll Village and all the people in it, wanting to be out of the public eye. Avoiding social contact and obligations; wanting to be invisible. So how could I complain, when I'd gotten exactly what I wanted?

Poppy seemed happy enough, but as we moved further away from the village square and traffic grew sparse, she turned to me and asked in quiet concern, "Is something bothering you, Branch?"

Of course I couldn't hide much from her, if only because we were still holding hands. She could literally feel my tension.

Then again, do I need to hide anything from her? I stopped walking to look at Poppy, but before I could decide what to say I heard several familiar voices calling to us.

"Yo, Poppy! Branch!"

"Wait up, guys!"

"Poppy!"

Poppy and I turned to greet our friends as they approached us. "Hi, guys!" she said cheerfully.

I raised my free hand. "'Sup."

All our friends gathered around us, their expressions eager. Smidge said expectantly, "So… How'd it go?"

Poppy and I exchanged puzzled looks. "Um, how'd what go?" I asked.

The twins broke out into giggles, and Cooper grinned widely. I looked back and forth between them. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Oh, come on now, don't be shyYyYy," Guy trilled.

"Shy?" Poppy asked.

Satin replied, "You guys disappeared at lunchtime."

"It wasn't hard to figure out what you were doing," Chenille added with a giggle.

"Yeah, now that we know you've been kissing and all. You must have done it." Smidge's gravelly voice boomed even more forcefully than usual. She sounded oddly triumphant. "Finally!"

Done "it"? My eyes widened. Wait, do they think we- I glanced at Poppy, whose face was bright red. We just wanted to eat lunch alone together!

Hastily, I tried to correct our friends' erroneous presumptions. "We were just looking for some privacy, so we could-"

"Have your first frolic!" Cooper announced, loud and proud. "Good for you! Congratu-"

"Shhh!" I said urgently, letting go of Poppy's hand and shoving my finger onto his lips. His eyes got big, but he was mercifully quiet. I glanced around quickly and saw only a few trolls in the area. They were still eating lunch, well off the path in the picnic area. None of them seemed interested in our conversation, thankfully. Just in case, as I lifted my finger from Cooper's lips I said in a hushed tone, "Cooper, keep your voice down."

"Why?"

"Gee, I don't know," I said sarcastically, "Why do you think?"

"I don't know - that's why I asked you!" His baffled annoyance that I was the one behaving irrationally made my temper flare like a teakettle on a stove.

As I opened my mouth to make a retort that would most likely not be helpful in enlightening my clueless friend, DJ headed off our impending argument by saying, "Hey, guys, I wanted to ask, how'd you like the mix tape I gave you? Did it help?"

"Mix tape?" I asked in puzzlement. Again Poppy and I looked at one another, and then memory struck. "Oops."

"Sorry, DJ," Poppy said apologetically. "We sort of forgot about it. But we'll listen to it tonight!"

DJ smiled understandingly. "Aw, that's okay. I'm sure you had other things on your minds."

Again the twins giggled. "Yeah, other things, like kissing and cuddling and-"

"Guuuys!" I protested. "Please! We didn't- I mean, we did kiss and cuddle, but that's all!"

"That's all?" Smidge gaped at us with big, disappointed blue eyes.

"SeriouslyYyYyY?" Guy's astonishment seemed echoed in everyone's faces. My own face was burning.

For a moment everyone was silent. Then Poppy asked in a patient tone, "What's this all about, guys?"

"We just wanted to make sure you two had a good time," Chenille explained, then winked. "If you know what I mean."

"Yeah, frolicking is the best time!" Cooper agreed cheerfully - and loudly. "If you two aren't lovers yet, you should be. You don't know what you're missing. It's so much fun!"

"Cooper!" I whispered in a furious undertone, "Stop that! We're not lovers!" Not yet, anyway.

The genuine anger in my voice finally seemed to get through to them.

"Aw, come on, Branch. You know we're just teasing you," Guy said in a softer tone.

"Yeah, no pressure," DJ said.

"I was just going to give you some tips," Smidge replied in her usual straightforward manner. "Like, don't forget to use your hair to support yourselves. It frees your hands for other things."

Involuntarily I pictured us together in bed and blushed. Poppy's cheeks were still red, but she looked fascinated. "Thanks for the tip, Smidge."

"Oh, we're just so excited for you!" Satin gushed, bouncing up and down.

"Both of you," Chenille agreed.

"Because you're our friends, and we love you both. We want to see you happy," Biggie said sincerely.

I smiled at him, feeling better. "Well, thanks."

Then he added briskly, "Also, because we're all hopeless romantics. So, please, can't you share just one teensy tiny tidbit?" he wheedled.

"Meep."

"Well…" As I looked around at their eager faces, I began to feel like I'd overreacted, as usual. None of my friends were in serious relationships, so to them, frolicking was just another type of playtime. Or a source of emotional comfort, as Leafe had told us this morning.

Remembering my old friends' warm, lovey-dovey manner with each other made me smile. Leafe had always been embarrassingly open when it came to things like frolicking. It was the teacher in him. And like Leafe and Cheery sharing waaay more intimate details than I'd wanted to hear about this morning; at heart, my friends were just worried about us. They wanted to make sure things were okay between Poppy and me.

I was also starting to get the idea that this whole conversation was yet another friendly social game, not to be taken too seriously as long as nothing truly private was spilled. I'd been around such conversations all my life. It had just never occurred to me that one day I'd actually be part of one.

But I was. I was in a relationship. Poppy was my girlfriend, and I was her boyfriend. I couldn't help but feel proud about that.

I decided to be magnanimous. "Okay, fine. I'll tell you one thing."

"Really?" Smidge asked eagerly. All of them leaned closer to listen.

I held my forefinger in the air. "She said, and I quote, 'Touch me harder, Branch.'"

The twins and Biggie squealed in unison, and DJ gave an appreciative wolf-whistle.

"Ooo! Spicy," commented Guy, looking impressed.

"Whoa! No one needs to hear that!" Cooper's long neck swung around and he buried his face in the long hair under his own belly. His pink ears were bright red.

DJ pumped a fist in the air. "Woo woo! You go, girl!" She turned to me. "You go, boy!"

Smidge slapped her hands over her face, then moved her fingers so she could peek at me with one eye. Her appreciative gaze flicked down my body. "Heh heh heh."

"Meep."

Biggie glanced down at his pet, then covered Mister Dinkles' nonexistent ears. "Well, this is all very fascinating, but perhaps a bit too spicy for someone's ears."

"Yes, don't you know that a gentletroll never kisses and tells?" Guy scolded, crossing his arms. I began to look down in shame, but then Guy asked eagerly, "But then what happened?"

For once, Poppy was the one squirming in public. "Braaanch! It wasn't like that! I was talking about the arnica salve for my bruise and you know it!"

Everyone blinked twice and said, "Oh," in unison.

I winked at Poppy. "Gotcha."

"Oh, you." She laughed and put her hands on her hips, smirking at me. In a playful mood now, I stepped closer to her and tapped her nose. "Boop."

She moved close enough for our bellies to touch and booped me back. "Boop."

I bumped my nose gently against hers. "Boop."

She returned the favor. "Boop."

"Are you sure you're not lovers yet?" Cooper commented, puzzled. "Cuz you sure look like lovers to me."

We froze. I realized that I had one arm wrapped around her back, holding her against me as she gazed at me with flirty, half-lidded eyes. I could feel my own face looking at her the same way.

Hastily I turned her loose. Our friends might know about us, but the rest of the village didn't. And until I figured out a way to improve my reputation, I wanted to keep it that way.

I was just glad they were all willing to keep our secret. This kind of thing was really hard for trolls to keep quiet about, as my exchange with Cooper had shown. I feel a little sorry now for being so short with him. Cooper's my friend. He likes me, and he trusts me, so of course he doesn't understand how carefully I need to manage this situation to keep it from blowing up in my face. Or Poppy's. The last thing I ever want to do is cause damage to her reputation. I want to prove myself just as trustworthy as she is.

It occurred to me then that this was the perfect time to express my appreciation to those trolls who did like and trust me.

-O-

Poppy watched Branch clear his throat and take a step toward the other trolls. "Guys, I want to thank you all for all the support you've given me and Poppy over the last few days. It really means a lot to me."

He received a chorus of happy chuckles, "Awws", and "You're welcomes".

Poppy added in her own thanks, and then, as trolls do, they all came together in a wonderful warm group hug. Branch hugged their friends right along with her, a broad smile of contentment on his face. Then he stepped away and cleared his throat. "So. I uh, I wrote a little something to show my appreciation. A poem."

Their friends brightened. Making noises of delight and anticipation, they stepped back to form a semicircle around him. With a quick glance around as if to make sure no other trolls were nearby, Branch placed a hand over his heart and let the sweet, gentle poet inside him emerge. Enthralled as always by his soft, sensitive murmur, Poppy clasped her own hands over her chest as she listened to her beloved boyfriend pouring his heart out.

The aquamarine troll spoke of loneliness, despair, and regret. He told of his solo journey through life, and how he was alone no longer. He shared his love and gratitude for the friends who loved and supported him; wonderful, kind friends who made his life better, brighter, and more joyous than he'd ever dreamed it could be. In the end, with sincere blue eyes, Branch promised to love and support them as well.

By the time Branch was finished, all of them were sniffling, including Poppy. They shared another group hug with Branch in the center, and he didn't even grumble or try to wiggle free.

My man sure has a way with words, she thought proudly. Poppy recalled the first poem she'd ever heard him say; not to her, but in support of the lovesick bergen he'd regarded as an enemy. We were sinking and he rescued us, and smiled at me, and he was so sweet and gentle… She felt a little flutter in her belly at the thought. I think I fell in love with him right then and there.

Finally their friends all began to head off to their next engagements; all but the twins, who hesitated, then turned back.

"Branch, we've been thinking about what you told Satin," said Chenille.

"About what?"

Satin answered, "About how we tend to think of ourselves as a unit instead of two different people."

"And that other people tend to think of us that way, too."

"And whether we wanted to live that way for the rest of our lives."

Branch glanced at Poppy. She recalled the conversation she'd had with him about separating the twins, and how much the idea had shocked and disturbed her at first. Are they upset with him?

Obviously Branch had the same idea as he asked carefully, "And how do you feel about that?"

They shared a look, then turned to him and broke out into brilliant smiles.

Satin began, "Well, we've been thinking-"

"About getting the most daring haircut of all," finished Chenille.

Poppy gaped at them. "Really? You're okay with that? Being apart?"

"Well, I think on some level we've always had the idea in the back of our minds," Satin admitted.

Chenille added, "I guess we've always been afraid of losing our special bond."

"But after what Branch said, Chenille and I talked it over. Then we talked to the other twins in the village, and they all said the same thing."

"Every one of them said they felt a special bond with their twin, even without being attached to them."

"I guess you don't need to be attached to someone to have a special bond with them," Poppy said softly, sharing an affectionate look with her boyfriend. She reached for his hand, and he stepped close and put an arm around her waist. She leaned her head against his for a moment, appreciating his warm presence while the twins looked on with sentimental smiles.

"Branch reminded me yesterday that we should make sure you know that we appreciate each of you for who you are." She gazed for a long moment into Chenille's raspberry-colored eyes, then turned to meet her sister's bright blue gaze. "And that we should make sure you're not staying together just because we expect you to. He said, 'We'd be just as happy to hear two great soloists as we are to hear a duet.'"

Each twin put her hands over her heart. "Awww…"

Branch spoke up. "We'll support whatever you want to do." They thanked him, and he added, "Frankly, I admire how easily you're adapting to the idea. If it were me, I'd be freaking out."

"Oh, we are," Satin said in surprise.

"It's nerve-wracking," Chenille agreed.

"So even you two get anxiety," Branch murmured.

"Of course we do. This is a big deal," Satin said. "A life-changing event."

"What, did you think we were just going to whip out a pair of scissors and be like 'Snip! Done!'" Chenille thrust two fingers upward, miming cutting through the thick band of multicolored hair connecting the two young women. "No, we're going to think about it for a while."

Poppy nodded. "Good idea. Take all the time you need. No pressure."

Branch was quiet for a moment. "Maybe it would help if you tried it out beforehand."

"How would we do that?"

"Like a roleplaying game, where one of you makes all the decisions about where to go and what to do, and the other stays quiet and follows along behind. You can tell the other trolls too, so they can play along."

Satin clapped her hands. "That's a great idea, Branch!"

"Why didn't we think of that years ago?" Chenille said eagerly.

Branch let Poppy go and went to take one of the twins' hands in each of his. "Don't forget, even if you do decide to cut your hair, you can still do everything together. You'll still be sisters. You'll still be twins. And you'll still be best friends. You're family, and you love each other. That will never change."

The twins stared at him with tears shining in their eyes. "I was right," Satin said sentimentally. "You do have special insight."

Chenille added gratefully, "Thank you for sharing your unique perspective."

Branch used his hold on their hands to pull them close. As they all hugged each other, Poppy couldn't resist throwing her arms around the group, too.

When they stepped apart, Branch said wryly, "Funny. The last time someone said that to me, he was being sarcastic."

A shadow seemed to fall over the group as they all recalled Branch's last confrontation with Creek.

Then Chenille tossed her head and said, "Well, I feel sorry for him, wherever he is."

"Sorry for him?" Branch questioned.

Chenille traded glances with her sister, who seemed to understand. Satin turned to Branch and said, "He never got to see what an amazing friend you are."

A look of profound love and gratitude crossed the aquamarine troll's face. "Thank you."

Satin said gently, "Don't be afraid to share your insight with us, Branch."

"We're your friends, too," Chenille agreed.

"Philosopher king…" Poppy murmured.

"What's that?" Chenille asked.

"Branch is such a deep thinker; I feel like someday he's going to be known as the Philosopher King." Poppy gazed dreamily at Branch, whose cheeks acquired a delicate lavender tint.

"Sweet nickname," Satin commented.

Poppy chuckled. "And speaking of nicknames-"

"Poppy." Branch tilted his head, his expression saying, Do you have to keep embarrassing me?

She giggled, but merely revealed, "Branch calls me 'Sunshine'. Isn't that cute?"

"Super cute," they agreed.

"Almost as cute as the outfit you're wearing." Chenille gestured to Poppy's spaghetti-strap top with the huge heart made from fuzzy puffballs. "How do you like it, Poppy?"

"I love it. I love all the outfits you gave me," Poppy gushed. "I can't wait to wear the rest of them."

Satin nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Branch. "Why aren't you wearing one of your new outfits, Branch?"

Chenille asked, "Is there something wrong with them?"

He held up his hands. "No, nothing's wrong. I just overslept this morning and grabbed my usual clothes without thinking."

"That was my fault," Poppy said, instinctively defending her boyfriend. "I kept him awake half the night-"

The twins' eyes popped and they let out matching shrieks of excitement.

Branch leaped into the air with a startled yelp. "You guys have got to stop doing that to me!"

The twins giggled roguishly. "I thought you said you hadn't frolicked yet," Chenille said teasingly.

"We haven't-" Poppy began.

"Hey! Can't you guys understand the need for a little privacy?" Branch said indignantly.

To Poppy's surprise, they both nodded. "Sure we do," Satin said. "Why do you think we're thinking about separating, after all this time?"

Chenille nodded. "You see, dating hasn't been the easiest thing in the world for us. At least, not serious, long-term-relationship dating. But now each of us has a crush on a different troll."

Poppy exchanged glances with Branch. Together they chorused, "I see."

I wonder who? Poppy was dying to ask, but time was getting short. They had to get going if they were going to make it to Branch's surprise on time. She made a mental note to get together with the twins as soon as possible for a nice long girl-talk.

-O-

I gazed at the twins, surprised and yet not surprised.

I could understand their need for privacy. Privacy was rare and special in Troll Village. I knew more private places around the village than anyone. I also knew that privacy was a turn-on in a society where mere public nudity was a normal, everyday thing. Privacy was why unmarried adults each had their own pod. Trolls loved to share many things, but lovers weren't one of them.

Considering that, I couldn't help but wonder how Satin and Chenille had handled it in the past. Separate beds with a curtain or screen between them? Earmuffs and headphones? Or did they just make love to the same troll together? Somehow I couldn't see that happening, at least not peacefully. They bickered enough about sharing a sewing machine, let alone a romantic partner.

The twins had always been intensely competitive with each other. Partly, I suspected, because of the problem of not being seen as individual people.

I'm not a twin, but I can empathize with you. I knew how badly I'd wanted Poppy to notice me as someone special to her, only I was literally competing against the entire village for Poppy's attention. When I voiced my thoughts aloud, the twins' eyes widened.

"I never thought of that. And I thought we had it bad," Satin commented feelingly.

"Yeah. I guess you really do understand how we feel," Chenille said.

As they hugged me, they chorused sincerely, "Good luck, Branch."

"Just let us know when you want that white dress you mentioned," Chenille said in a teasing tone that puzzled me.

"What white dress? Didn't you already give Poppy a white dress?"

They giggled. "Not that white dress, silly," Satin said. "The white dress you only wear once."

"For a special walk down an aisle," Chenille added.

It took me a second to remember the conversation. Poppy had been waiting for me to choose which outfit I liked best. I'd said something like, 'I love you in your white dress' and the twins had flipped, screaming and jumping up and down and totally baffling me.

A white dress you only wear once… Then it hit me, and I stumbled back a step. "Oh! That white dress!"

I looked at Poppy, whose cheeks looked as hot as mine felt. But she held my gaze, and she was smiling.

And suddenly I was smiling, too.

Author's Note:

And thus I finally explain the joke I wrote way, way, way, back in chapter 15. How many of you figured it out? 😉